After an 11th-place finish in Illinois last year, the Titan tennis team is looking to build upon its prior successes in the upcoming season, according to Stephanie Mats, new head coach.
The Titans lost their head coach Katie Nicolotti during the offseason when she left South. According to senior Martina Dragoytchev, there was a change in practice philosophy when Mats took over the program.
“Coach Mats and Coach Nicolotti are [very] different,” Dragoytchev said. “Last year we focused on drills and running, but this year it’s more games and competing against each other.”
One of the teams’ key victories this season came against Highland Park, a team that South had not beaten in ten years. The Titans claimed all three of the singles matches. However, Highland Park was able to take three of the doubles matches, leaving the meet down to the final match, which Dragoytchev and doubles partner Jessica Chepurda won, with a little support from their teammates.
“We are really big this year on cheering each other on […] and keeping our teammates pumped up,” Dragoytchev said. “Me and [Chepurda] were kind of struggling in the first set and our teammates were cheering for us. That brought us back in and we finished the second set pretty easily.”
The Titans also defeated perennial state contenders York on Sept. 15. According to Dragoytchev, this was a big win for the team.
“[York] is kind of like our team and to come out and beat them was really good for us,” Dragoytchev said. “They have strong, key players and they have a strong back end so it was a tough match but South pulled through in the end.”
After losing all-state player Caroline Ryba, who went on to play at the University of Minnesota this fall, the team is led by Dragoytchev and Chepurda as well as senior captain Breck Murphy, according to fellow senior captain Annie Emme, a returning all-state player. The team is also receiving solid contributions from sophomores Sophie Hensley and Nicole Blinov.
“[Ryba] was our [number one singles] player; she was really good so losing her is a big deal,” Emme said. “We still have really solid doubles teams, and [Murphy and I] are one and two [singles players]. I think that will be really solid for state. We’re doing the best we have done since I’ve been here.”
The Titans’ lingering losses this season came at the hands of Stevenson and Glenbrook North. The next time the team will hit the courts is Oct. 4 at the Wheaton Warrenville South Invite.
